


The Age of Gargoyles

by FrankenSpine



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst, Betrayal, Bigotry & Prejudice, Castle warfare, Culture Shock, Curses, Dark, F/F, Flashbacks, Gargoyles, Genocide, Interspecies Relationship(s), Magic, Minor Character Death, Original Character(s), Past Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Maleficent, Revenge, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-04
Updated: 2020-04-09
Packaged: 2021-02-23 02:30:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23470990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FrankenSpine/pseuds/FrankenSpine
Summary: "One thousand years ago, superstition and the sword ruled. It was a time of darkness. It was a world of fear. It was the age of gargoyles."Having been cursed to sleep for a millennium, the surviving members of an ancient gargoyle clan awaken in the sleepy town of Storybrooke, Maine. They do their best to adapt to the strange new environment, but this proves difficult when they are faced with cunning criminals, ghosts from the past, and budding romances.The Gargoyles-inspired fic nobody asked for. Enjoy!
Relationships: Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Emma Swan, Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Maleficent
Comments: 15
Kudos: 53





	1. Set in Stone

**Author's Note:**

> Gargoyles is one of my all-time favorite shows, and I've been watching it again lately, which led to the wild idea to combine it with OUAT. Hope you all like it! :D
> 
> FYI: I know the gargoyles in the show originated in Scotland but I changed it to Ireland to explain Graham and Killian's accents. I've also upped the violence, so it's gonna be *way* darker than the original TV show.

_Once Upon a Time, in Ireland…_

The invaders were growing increasingly-nervous as they scaled the walls of the castle, inching closer and closer to the imposing gargoyle statues perched above. They had heard rumors— whispers from frightened travelers— that these stone devils came alive after sunset, but their leader was adamant that none of it was true. They wanted to believe that, they truly did, but such a feat was impossible now that the statues had begun to crack, revealing the angry, glowing eyes of the beasts within.

In a matter of seconds, there were winged monsters soaring about the castle, throwing the invaders to their deaths and scaring away the rest. This infuriated their ruthless leader, Fendrake. He would not back down. He would not run. He would not let a _beast_ get the better of him.

“Stand and fight, you cowards!” he shouted.

Still, he couldn’t help but gasp when one of the gargoyles— a tall, slender creature with vaguely feminine features— grabbed his sword by the blade. He stared into her glowing green eyes in awe. Her talons closed around the steel blade, and blood began to seep down, yet she did not flinch. She did not cry out. She bared her fangs at him and growled like a wild beast, spreading her leathery wings in a show of dominance.

 _“You are trespassing,”_ she hissed.

Without hesitation, she threw the barbarian from the tower and he cried out in fear as he fell onto a wagon full of straw. He groaned in pain, glowering at the lilac-skinned abomination looming above. She turned away and glided upon the wind to aid her second-in-command, a gray-skinned beauty donning black leather and a wooden staff to push the invaders to their deaths, and together they fended off the savages.

Meanwhile, up on a nearby turret, a winged trio was watching the action unfold with fascination.

“How about it, brothers?” asked the blue-skinned one with a sly smile, “Are we going to let everyone else have all the fun?”

The others laughed as they leapt from the turret, diving down to grab the invaders and hurl them through the air. The excitement left him feeling hungry, and so the blue one went to the courtyard to find a bite to eat. He spotted a leg of lamb and found a barrel to sit on as he enjoyed his meal. He was oblivious to the young human boy watching him with pure wonder. He looked up when he saw one of the castle guards scuffling with a barbarian and used the lamb bone to render the savage unconscious. This left the human boy in awe, silently rooting for the gargoyles as he watched them battle the barbarians.

Up on the walkway, the lilac-skinned one was accompanied by the Captain of the Guard, Gareth, in knocking the invaders from the castle walls.

“Captain, behind you!”

Gareth ducked, turned, and swung his sword, slicing through the leg of a would-be assassin. He grabbed the barbarian by the throat and threw the man over the edge without hesitation. He looked to his gargoyle companion with a proud smile.

“I owe you my life, Regina.”

The lilac one returned the smile, ever so faintly. “As I owe you mine, every day.”

It wasn’t much longer before the invaders retreated into the dense woods, and the gargoyles took great pleasure in watching them run. In the courtyard, the young boy stood close to his father while the rest of the refugees helped themselves to the scraps of bread and meat that the Princess had so graciously provided.

The boy couldn’t take his eyes off of the blue gargoyle. When two others— one green and one gray— appeared, the boy left his father’s side and approached the winged beings. They blinked curiously at him, but smiled, nonetheless.

“Hello,” he said, “I’m August. What are your names?”

The three exchanged glances, and the blue one spoke up. “We don’t have any, except for Regina.”

“Then what do you call each other?” asked August.

The blue one shrugged. “Friend, I suppose.”

Before August could utter another word, his father came rushing over and stood between him and the three gargoyles.

“Stay back, _monsters!”_

The blue one frowned at the old man. “We mean the lad no harm, sir. Take your aggression elsewhere.”

“If you hurt so much as a hair on his head, I swear I’ll—”

“You’ll _what?”_ the gray one challenged, “Call us monsters? Clip our wings? Crush us as we sleep?”

“Don’t give him ideas, brother,” said the blue one.

“And why not?” the gray one countered, his eyes now glowing white, “What better way to deal with us _monsters?”_ He stepped closer to the old man, who began backing away in fear. This made him laugh. “What’s the matter? Can’t follow up on empty threats?”

Suddenly, the lilac one appeared in the courtyard, wings spread wide, and narrowed her eyes at the trio in disapproval.

“What is the meaning of this?” she demanded, “Do you have _any idea_ what you’ve done?”

“We were just having some fun,” the gray one argued.

The green one held up his talons in defense. “I had no part in this, Regina, I swear.”

Regina rolled her eyes. “Go wait in the rookery, all of you, and don’t even _think_ about leaving. We will discuss this later.”

“But, Regina—”

A single glare from their leader shut the three of them up and the trudged towards the rookery where the clan’s eggs were kept.

“This is _so_ unfair,” said the blue one.

“Aye,” said the gray one, “I haven’t been down here since I hatched.”

The blue one frowned. “If you hadn’t antagonized that man, we wouldn’t be here in the first place!”

“Well forgive me for standing up to that old fool! Did you see the fear in his eyes?”

“Yes, and it made me _sick!_ We’re supposed to show them we aren’t monsters, brother! What you did just skewered any chances we might’ve had!”

The gray one folded his arms in defiance. “You say that as though we had any to begin with.”

* * *

Regina was with her second-in-command, bandaging her hand as Gareth approached. He smiled at the pair.

“You two fought well. Princess Mary is having a banquet to celebrate our victory, and I’d like you both to attend. Lord knows you’ve earned it.”

The pair exchanged glances.

“Very well,” said Regina, though her second-in-command was visibly reluctant.

The Captain’s smile widened. “Wonderful.”

As the three of them entered the dining hall, there was a collective gasp from all in attendance, and the Princess glowered at them.

“What is the meaning of this, Captain? I am most seriously displeased! Allowing _beasts_ in the dining hall!”

Gareth frowned. “With all due respect, Your Highness, they deserve to be rewarded for their bravery. Were it not for Regina and her clan, we would have lost to the barbarians. We would have no reason to be merry. Is it too much to ask that they be, at the very least, recognized for such a feat?”

“That is _quite_ enough, Captain,” the Princess said firmly.

Regina’s second-in-command stepped forward, spreading her wings in a show of dominance.

“You are ungrateful, all of you! You are selfish and entitled! Each night we defend these walls, and you celebrate victories you have not earned, all while you treat us with contempt and vitriol! You do not deserve to wear that crown! Regina does! After all, her very name is fitting of a Queen!”

Next to the Princess was the one known as the Blue Witch. She glared daggers at the two gargoyles as she stood up abruptly.

“Any chances you had of being welcome in this hall have been made obsolete, _monster._ Leave this place at once! You forget that we can easily destroy you once the sun rises!”

Gareth was furious. “Mind your tongue, _witch!”_ he snapped, “You would be dead if it weren’t for these ‘monsters,’ as you call them! They are more human than you could ever _hope_ to be!”

“Captain!” shouted the Princess, “You and these beasts must leave at once! It seems you would much rather spend your days perched on the turrets with them than live alongside your own kind!”

Gareth turned away without so much as another word, and the gargoyles followed as the whole room glared spitefully at them.

* * *

Regina folded her arms. “You can’t be serious.”

“I mean it, Regina,” the Captain said pleadingly, “You and your clan shouldn’t have to live this way. You should all leave— find a new place to live, without being subject to fear and senseless hatred. How can you keep protecting those who do not appreciate your efforts?”

“He’s right, Regina. We don’t belong here! These cliffs belonged to us before the humans came along and built their castle!”

“But who will protect them if we leave? I will not leave these people to die at the hands of barbarians.”

“Regina, _please,”_ said Gareth, “We can handle ourselves. You have no reason to keep bowing to the Princess’ every whim, especially when your courage goes unappreciated.” He gestured to the second-in-command. “She’s right, you know. I gave you your name because it was fitting of a Queen. You do not serve the Princess. I’ll kneel and beg if you want, but you _must_ go.”

Regina sighed and turned away. “You said it yourself, Captain. The humans would be dead if not for us. We cannot leave. Not now. I must go and find the barbarians so I can drive them away.”

“Let me come with you,” said the second-in-command.

Regina shook her head. “No, my love. Stay here with the others. I will be fine. _I promise.”_

She jumped from the ledge, soaring off into the cool night air to find the invaders. It took her many hours to locate their camp, but when she did, she dove at them and grabbed two men with her strong talons. They screamed in terror, struggling to break free, but she wasn’t letting go.

“Don’t _ever_ let me catch you near the castle again, you savages! You would slaughter innocent people over something as trivial as walls of stone? How pathetic!”

She threw them down, and they scrambled away in fear. When she was done with the rest, they followed suit.

“That’s right, run away! Run and never return!”

Once the invaders were gone, Regina turned and began heading back to the castle, but panicked when she caught a glimpse of fire in the sky. The sun was coming up.

 _“NO!”_ she screamed.

She was too late. She was out here all alone, completely vulnerable on the hilltop. As her body began to harden into solid stone, she prayed she would make it until nightfall. What she failed to realize was that the invaders she’d scared away were decoys, and that Fendrake was leading the remainder of his army back towards the castle.

* * *

By the time Fendrake reached the castle, the sun was already beginning to set. He could not afford to make the same mistake twice. He locked eyes with Gareth, who stared coldly at him from atop the castle.

“Archers!” shouted Gareth, urging the bowmen to draw their arrows, “Take aim!”

They did so, but there was a collective gasp as all of their bowstrings snapped with ease. Someone had sabotaged their bows— but who? And more importantly, _why?_ Was there a traitor in their midst?

“Launch the catapults!” roared Fendrake.

The ropes were severed and two boulders were sent rocketing towards the castle gate, causing it to splinter into a thousand pieces.

“Attack!”

His warriors stormed the castle like a force of nature, flooding the courtyard and surrounding the refugees to take them as prisoners. As the barbarians fought with the royal guard, Fendrake made his way up to the top of the castle where Gareth stood waiting for him.

“Captain.”

“Fendrake.”

“I thank you for aiding me in taking the castle, but I must ask, _why?_ Why betray your own people?”

Gareth frowned. “They are _not_ my people,” he said bitterly.

His heart sank when he saw Fendrake lift up a spiked mace with clear intent to destroy the nearest gargoyle. He swiftly grabbed the barbarian’s arm.

“No! What do you think you’re doing?!”

Fendrake looked at him as though he’d grown a second head. “Are you mad?! In a moment these monsters will be flesh and blood, and they’ll kill us all!”

Gareth shook his head. “By the time your men are gone, the gargoyles won’t follow! It’s not in their nature! I beg you, Fendrake, don’t do this!”

Fendrake scoffed and violently shoved Gareth to the ground. “I didn’t come all the way here just to take foolish chances! Now stand down, or you’ll soon join them!”

Gareth was frozen in utter horror as he witnessed Fendrake smash the sleeping gargoyle into a pile of rubble. There were no words that could properly convey the anguish he felt, having seen such a senseless and ruthless act. He’d tried to prevent this, he truly had, but the gargoyles wouldn’t listen to him. They listened only to Regina, and not even she would heed his advice. The only one who had listened was Regina’s mate, her second-in-command, who was nowhere to be found.

It happened again and again, but Gareth didn’t stick around to watch. Once was enough to destroy a man’s soul. He trudged down the spiral steps of the tower with his head hung in shame and defeat, and it was then that he happened upon the Princess. Seeing her sparked primal fury within him, and he grabbed her by the wrist.

 _“You,”_ he hissed, “You’re coming with me, you insufferable bitch!”

The Princess was in shock. “Captain! What is the meaning of this?!”

“I truly don’t understand why Regina ever felt the need to watch over this wretched fortress! Or why she thought serving you would do her any good! All you have done— all you have _ever done—_ is treat her and her clan with contempt! Now the gargoyles are dead! All of them! And you have only yourself to blame, _Princess!”_

He dragged her out of the castle and threw her to the barbarians like a lamb into a den of lions. As the invaders ushered her back towards their hideout in a nearby cave, along with the rest of the prisoners, Gareth looked up at the castle one last time, though he turned away just as quickly when he caught a glimpse of the broken remains of the creatures he’d come to love and respect as though they were his own family. He now found himself wishing he had been dealt the same fate, if only to end his own suffering.

There was no going back from this. Not now, nor ever.

* * *

The castle was in flames. The dark sky was clouded by smoke and ash. The gargoyles were dead. Gone. Smashed into a thousand pieces. The atrocities Regina saw when she returned left her as broken as the rest of her clan. She landed at the top of one of the towers, gathering up what was left of her mate. She had never cried in all her years, but now was the closest she’d ever gotten. Instead, she unleashed a roar of fury and anguish.

Out from the rookery, the three gargoyles emerged alongside a wolf-like beast they’d found hiding inside. They were mortified by what they saw, and though it was twisted, they couldn’t help feeling grateful that they had survived the massacre.

The green one found a bow with a broken string, and he frowned. “It’s been cut. Someone has betrayed us.”

When they heard the cry of their distraught leader, they flew up to stand by her side.

“Regina?” the blue one asked with uncertainty, “What happens now?”

Regina’s jaw clenched as she fought back the urge to scream. “We avenge the fallen,” she said quietly, “and we destroy those responsible. These crimes cannot go unpunished.”

* * *

The refugees were huddled together in the cave while the barbarians drank to celebrate their victory around a fire. August looked to his father with hope in his eyes.

“Don’t worry, Father,” he said, “My friends the gargoyles will come and save us.”

The old man shook his head. “No, my boy. The gargoyles were all destroyed.”

Meanwhile, Fendrake was flipping aimlessly through the Blue Witch’s book, keeping note of all the sweat on the woman’s brow. He laughed as he saw this, and continued to do so the redder her face became.

“You’ll never get away with this, Fendrake!” she shouted, “The gargoyles will—”

“They won’t do a damn thing, witch!” Fendrake snapped, “I turned those monsters into rubble! No one can save you now!”

The Princess and the Witch exchanged a look of utter horror. They’d threatened that very thing, but never would have actually gone through with it. The Blue Witch’s heart sank when she saw Fendrake begin ripping pages out of her book and holding them over the fire to watch them burn.

“No! My spells!”

Again, the barbarian let out a hearty laugh. “Magic spells!” he mocked, “Makes me glad I can’t read!” He threw the book aside without care. “I’m sure your uncle will pay a handsome price for you, _Your Highness.”_ He looked over at Gareth, who bore a look of great shame. “What say you, Captain?”

“King George is a stubborn mule,” said Gareth, “but I doubt he would allow his niece to die. We should send a messenger first thing in the morning.”

“No. We don’t need to send her to him alive. Once we get what we want, we’ll kill her and send her to George in a thousand pieces.” An unnerving grin crept its way onto Fendrake’s tattooed face. “But I see no reason why we can’t have a bit of fun in the meantime.”

He grabbed the frightened Princess and dragged her out of the cave.

“No!” shouted the Witch, “Your Highness!” She glared hateful daggers at Gareth. “You’ll burn for this! Every last one of you!”

Gareth narrowed his eyes at her, but said nothing as he followed after Fendrake. He froze, however, when he heard the unmistakable shriek of a gargoyle. His blood ran cold as he looked up to see Regina, followed by three others, diving towards them. Fendrake turned to him, furious.

“You said they wouldn’t follow!”

Gareth bared his teeth like a wild animal. “If only _you_ hadn’t massacred the rest!” he seethed.

Fendrake scoffed and continued dragging the Princess to a secluded cliff. “Never mind that! We have what we came for!”

Meanwhile, the three gargoyles, along with their wolf-like companion, were ripping the invaders limb from limb. The blood-curdling screams and pleas for mercy fell upon deaf ears. Bones cracked and splintered. Blood seeped down into the earth. The ground was scattered with severed heads and limbs. The gargoyles had suffered the ultimate betrayal, and now it was time the invaders knew their pain. There was no room for mercy.

The Blue Witch was able to free herself using the sharp rocks within the cave to cut through the ropes around her wrists. She grabbed her book and rushed out to find the aftermath of the gargoyles’ vengeance. She was mortified, but turned to the winged creatures anyhow, visibly furious.

 _“You!”_ she cried, “Were it not for you, the Princess would still be alive!”

The gargoyles exchanged puzzled glances.

The gray one frowned. “What are you on about, woman? We’ve not laid a talon on her!”

The Witch’s frown deepened and she pointed at the group accusingly. “Perhaps not! But you were too busy seeking your revenge to help the woman who needed you most! And now the Princess is dead! If only I could wield a sword, for I’d send you all to join her! But this shall have to do instead!” She flipped through her book until she found the right incantation. _“A soul for a soul, each life is worth! May you slumber until the castle roams the earth!”_

A strong wind began to whirl around the shocked gargoyles, and August looked on in horror as they were all turned to stone by the Witch’s magic.

* * *

Regina was scouting from above in search of Fendrake. She was out for blood. She would keep him alive while she peeled his skin off piece by piece, starting with his face, and she would revel in his screams until he could scream no longer. Then, when the life was leaving his cold eyes, she would tear them out with her talons and twist his head off to keep as a blood trophy while she fed his mangled corpse to the red creature from the rookery.

She was pulled from her demented reverie when she spotted him. He had a hold of the Princess, who was struggling and failing to break free of his grip. Standing alongside him was the Captain of the Guard. Regina couldn’t believe what she was seeing. When she landed, she caught the two men by surprise.

“Regina!” cried Gareth.

She stared at him in utter horror and disbelief. _“You_ are the betrayer?!”

The Captain tightened his fists. “It wasn’t supposed to be this way! If only you had _listened_ to me!”

“All of my kind are dead! And now, you two shall join them!”

Fendrake drew his sword and held it to the Princess’ throat. “It’s the Captain you want! It was he who destroyed the gargoyles!”

Gareth rounded on the man in primal fury. _“Liar!”_ he roared, lunging towards Fendrake.

Fendrake was caught off-guard and the Princess was able to get away as Gareth began grappling with the barbarian. As they fought over Fendrake’s sword, the edge of the cliff began to crumble beneath them, and both men plummeted into the dark abyss below, leaving the curved blade in their wake. The Princess almost met the same fate, but Regina managed to grab her at the last second and cut through the ropes that bound her.

“Regina, I—”

“I’ve been denied everything,” Regina hissed, _“Even my revenge!”_

 _“Regina!”_ came the frantic voice of a child. August appeared, tears streaking his face as he drew near. “Come quickly! You’ve got to help your friends!”

* * *

Regina’s talons were digging into her palms as she trembled with rage. “Stone? At night? What sorcery is this?!” she roared.

“Sorcery indeed, _monster!”_ shouted the Witch, “And now, you shall join them!”

She faltered when she saw the Princess step out from behind Regina.

“Oh Blue,” the Princess said quietly as she examined the gargoyles with a look of great sorrow, “What have you done?”

The Witch was overcome with immeasurable guilt. “Y-Your Highness, I— I thought you were dead!”

Regina grabbed the Witch’s arm. “Bring them back!” she demanded, _“Now!”_

“I cannot!” the Witch insisted, “The page with the counter-spell was burned!”

The Princess looked at the Witch in disbelief. “You turned them to stone _forever?”_

Regina threw the Witch down in anger, and despite the great temptation beckoning her, did not attempt to tear the woman to pieces.

“The spell will only break once the castle roams the earth.”

“What sort of spell is _that?!”_ Regina snapped, “In what world would such a thing ever occur?!”

The Witch hung her head in shame. “That’s just it,” she said quietly, “It won’t. The spell was meant to be indefinite.”

Regina spoke with an unnerving coldness. “So they will never awaken.” She looked at the last of her clan with tears welling in her eyes. She could finally allow herself to cry. “Now I am truly alone.”

* * *

Placing the last of her clan back upon the tower with care, Regina hooked her wings around her shoulders like a cloak of leather.

“We’ve done you a great disservice, Regina,” said the Princess, “What can we do to make it up to you? You need only name it.”

“I have but one request,” Regina told her, “The eggs in the rookery will soon hatch. They will need guidance— someone to protect them, to teach them the ways of their ancestors.”

The Princess gave a curt nod. “Consider it done.”

“What will you do now?” asked Regina.

“Go live with my uncle, King George. It is no longer safe for us here.”

“If I may,” said the Blue Witch, “I would like to perform another incantation. One which will prevent you and the others from being destroyed.”

Regina was silent for a moment. “We have already been destroyed,” she said, “but very well. I just need to ask a favor of you, Witch.”

“Name it.”

_“Cast your spell one more time.”_

* * *

As the Princess and the Witch rode away with a wagon full of gargoyle eggs, they looked back remorsefully at the tower where Regina and the last of her clan slept, forever set in stone.


	2. Welcome to Storybrooke

The very notion of time was but a myth within the dreamscape. A million visions all melting into one incomprehensible conglomeration, lasting for an eternity, and somehow, mere moments. Fragments of memories, some fond, the rest devastating. It was impossible to tell what was real and what wasn’t.

They had dreamt of their awakening a thousand times, and a thousand times twice over, so when it happened yet again, they weren’t entirely sure it was anything more than a fantasy. But then they felt the cool breeze upon their skin as the stone fragments fell away, and they were left with only the faintest memories of their visions as they were reunited at last.

There was so much they wanted to say, yet none of them were sure how to say it. This was not going the way they’d envisioned it in their dreams. Countless hours of practice, only to end up in uncomfortable silence. Before any of them could even think to utter a word, the voice of a Scotsman beat them to it.

_“I suppose you all have questions.”_

That was an understatement.

* * *

Now that they were gathered around the mantel, the Scotsman— Gold was his name— limped before the crackling fire with his cane. He bore an unreadable expression, mirroring their own.

“I know this won’t be easy to hear, but you’ve all been asleep for roughly a thousand years,” he told them, “As for why you’ve just now awoken, well, it’s because I moved the entire castle across the world. Welcome home, friends.”

Regina tensed. “I would not be so quick to utter such a phrase,” she said, “I have known humans who called themselves friends, and look where we are now.”

“Apologies,” said the Scotsman, “You are the one called Regina, are you not?”

“I am.”

“And what about the rest of you? Is it true that your kind do not have names?”

“That’s right,” said the blue one, “What good is a name? Does the sky need a name? Does the earth? What about the sea?”

Gold smiled faintly. “There are seven seas,” he said, “and yes, they all have names.”

“What is it with you humans and your titles?” muttered the green one.

“Do you ever tire of not being properly addressed?” asked Gold.

“I’ve never considered it.”

Regina frowned as she folded her arms. “Why have you done all this?”

Gold’s smile grew wider. “The Blue Witch’s spell book recently came into my possession,” he explained, “She wrote everything down in there about you and your clan. I found it all quite fascinating, and I just had to know if it was true. I’m pleased to see it was worth my while— and now, it will be worth yours as well.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Take a look around. I’ve made a number of improvements to the place. Better yet, I think you’ll find the town to your liking. The view at night is breathtaking.”

“I suppose this town also has a name?” the green one asked facetiously.

“That it does. Welcome to Storybrooke.”

Regina was noticeably suspicious. “What do you get out of this? You humans always have some ulterior motive. So what’s yours?”

Gold peered into the brunette’s eyes as he approached her, but was unable to get a good read on her.

“I was hoping we could help one another out.”

Regina narrowed her eyes. “In what way?”

“Well, I—”

Gold paused when he heard the roar of an engine outside. He frowned.

“I wasn’t expecting anyone,” he said, “I think you’ll all be much safer if you wait here.”

He limped towards the door and out into the yard, where he found a masked man wielding a rifle. His eyes narrowed as he tightened his grip on his cane. He sensed the gargoyles had followed him but were hiding within the shadows.

“What do you want?” he asked coldly.

The masked man laughed. “You’ll find out soon enough, old man.” He lifted up his gun and aimed it at Gold, but before he had a chance to fire, the Scotsman unsheathed a sword from within the slender cane and caught him off-guard.

“What the—”

Gold slashed at the intruder’s arm, causing the masked man to drop his gun, but suddenly there were more trespassers packing heat and coming closer.

The gargoyles weren’t sure what it was they were witnessing. They exchanged looks of pure bewilderment.

“Who are these people?” asked the gray one, “Barbarians?”

“It matters not,” Regina fumed, “They are attacking our home, and that’s all we need to know.”

The gargoyles charged at the masked intruders head-on, startling them.

“What the fuck?!”

They began firing randomly at the vicious, winged creatures, but ended up striking Gold in the shoulder. He fell backwards, cursing loudly, but was able to push himself back up with his cane. He went to grab a gun dropped by one of the intruders, only to have the barrel of a shotgun aimed at his head.

“Don’t move!”

Before the masked man had a chance to pull the trigger, he was violently knocked to the ground by Regina, who snapped his weapon in half as though it was a twig. He gasped and scrambled to get away, but Regina grabbed him by the ankle and flung him like a rag-doll through the truck’s windshield.

 _“Holy shit!”_ cried one of the other intruders, “Let’s get the hell out of here!”

They all scurried back into the truck and sped away into the night.

The gargoyles exchanged wary glances and turned to find Gold’s shoulder being examined by an older, bearded man they hadn’t noticed before.

“We need to get you to a hospital, Mr. Gold,” said the bearded man.

Gold shook his head. “Nonsense. I’ve been through worse. I can dig it out myself.”

“Are you sure, sir?”

A smile tugged at Gold’s lips. “Of course.” He looked to the gargoyles, and the bearded man’s eyes followed. “Malcolm, I’d like you to meet our guests. They’ve just awoken from their thousand-year nap. Why don’t you give them the grand tour? I have other matters to attend.”

“Yes, Mr. Gold.”

“We don’t need a tour,” said Regina, “We know this castle inside and out.”

Gold nodded in understanding. “Yes, well, that was before I updated the place. Malcolm will show you around.”

Regina was reluctant, but agreed anyhow. “Very well.”

“Wonderful,” said Gold, “Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get this bloody bullet out of my shoulder.”

* * *

While the gargoyles were off exploring the castle, Gold was up in his office with his shirt and jacket draped over the chair while he removed the bullet from his Kevlar vest. He stared out the window with a cold expression, but frowned when he noticed a yellow Volkswagen with a police light fixed to the roof approaching.

“Damn it,” he muttered, “Not you, Swan.”

He picked up his phone and sent a message to Malcolm. _Swan just showed up. Let her see what she wants to see, but don’t let her know about our guests._

Malcolm responded almost immediately. _Yes, sir._

* * *

When the colossal oak door opened, Emma found herself face to face with Mr. Gold’s creepy assistant, Malcolm.

“Good evening, Sheriff,” said the bearded man, “What can I do for you?”

Emma folded her arms and frowned. She was having none of this. “I think you know, Malcolm. I got six different calls from concerned citizens regarding the sounds of gunshots out here. So what’s up?”

Malcolm offered a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “My apologies, Sheriff Swan. Mr. Gold was merely practicing with his new firearms. I assure you, everything is fine.”

Emma clearly wasn’t buying it. “Oh yeah? Then how do you explain _that?”_ She pointed to the broken shotgun on the ground nearby.

Malcolm’s face was unreadable. He just continued to smile at her. “As I said, Mr. Gold purchased new firearms this morning. He had grown tired of the old ones.”

“So he decided he would just snap it in half? You wanna tell me how he pulled that off? Or better yet, how the hell that makes sense? We can do one of two things, Malcolm. You can either let me in now, or I can come back with a warrant, and I’d much rather get this over with now. I’ve got a kid at home and I have better things to do in the middle of the night than come up to this creepy castle. Now what’s it gonna be?”

Malcolm was silent for a moment. “Excuse me, Sheriff. I must inform Mr. Gold.”

Emma placed her hands on her hips. “Yeah, you do that.”

She huffed as the bearded man closed the door in her face and tapped her foot impatiently, looking around at the medieval décor with mild curiosity. She blinked, bewildered, when she saw what she swore was a winged creature staring down at her from atop the castle. She rubbed her eyes, thinking she was probably just hallucinating due to a lack of sleep. When she looked back up, the creature was gone. She did her best to shrug it off, but her mind was swimming with endless questions.

Finally, Malcolm returned to the door with that same plastic smile. “Come in, Sheriff. Mr. Gold is upstairs in his office, and would be more than happy to answer any questions you might have.”

“Right. Thanks, Malcolm.”

“My pleasure.”

Emma fought not to grimace as she stepped past the creepy man and into the castle.

“So, uh, how old is this place?”

“Roughly eleven-hundred years,” said Malcolm, “Mr. Gold had it shipped here in pieces.”

“And are we alone here?”

“Yes, Sheriff.”

Emma new right then that he was lying. She wasn’t sure where it had come from, but she’d always had the unique gift of knowing when people weren’t being honest, and Malcolm was anything but.

“Right,” she said slowly, “So if I were to go upstairs, I wouldn’t find anyone?”

“Only Mr. Gold.”

“Anybody else?”

“As I said, Sheriff Swan, it is just the three of us here.”

“What does one man need a thousand-year-old castle for? Especially if he’s living in it by himself?”

“You forget, Sheriff, that I live here as well.”

“Oh no, I haven’t forgotten,” said Emma, “I still don’t understand what kind of relationship you two have.”

“If you’re insinuating any sort of fraternization, I assure you that is not the case. Our relationship is strictly professional.”

Once again, this was a lie, but Emma didn’t question it. She followed Malcolm upstairs to Gold’s office. The bearded man knocked on the door.

“Mr. Gold, the Sheriff is here to speak with you.”

_“Send her in.”_

Malcolm pushed the door open and gestured for Emma to enter. She did so and suddenly felt on-edge as she locked eyes with Gold.

“Welcome, Sheriff,” said the Scotsman, “I understand you have questions.” He offered the same politician’s smile as his assistant. “Ask away.”

Emma was growing increasingly uncomfortable. “Malcolm told me the gunshots were just you playing with your new toys.”

“That’s right.”

Emma folded her arms, staring pointedly at the old man. “Alright, but that doesn’t explain why I found a shotgun snapped in half in the yard.”

“Ah yes, that,” said Gold, “It is quite old, and I have a bit of a temper. I broke it out of anger, an action I know regret.”

Another lie.

Emma arched an eyebrow. _“You_ broke it? With your bare hands?”

Gold laughed, but it was forced. “Of course not! I struck it against a tree,” he explained.

All lies. Not a single word out of his mouth thus far had been the truth. What the hell was this man hiding?

Emma was visibly displeased. “Do you honestly expect me to believe that?”

“In truth, Sheriff, I don’t care what you do or don’t believe. You asked how the gun broke, and I told you. Whether or not you find that believable is entirely up to you. Now then, any further questions?”

“I’d like to look around, if that’s not too much to ask.”

Gold’s left eye twitched, an action that did not go unnoticed by Emma. “Of course. Malcolm will escort you.”

“Why? So he can keep me from seeing whatever it is you’re hiding?”

“I have nothing to hide, Sheriff Swan,” said Gold, “I was merely taking measures to ensure you didn’t get lost. This castle is like a labyrinth.”

Emma narrowed her eyes in ever-increasing suspicion. “Whatever you say, Gold.”

She followed Malcolm out of the room and down the long, dimly-lit corridor, looking around at the countless doors lining the stone walls.

“I suppose we should start with the kitchen,” said Malcolm, “Mr. Gold has made many improvements upon the castle to suit his needs.”

“You don’t think this is weird?”

“Whatever do you mean?”

“He just, what, up and decided one morning that he was gonna buy a damn castle? Who _does that?”_

“Mr. Gold, of course,” said Malcolm.

Emma stared at him incredulously. “Are you a robot or something?”

Malcolm chuckled. “I can assure you, Sheriff, I am not,” he said as he turned to enter the kitchen. He paused, however, when the sound of a pan crashing onto the floor echoed through the hall.

Emma folded her arms. “All alone, huh? Who’s in there, Malcolm?”

“I don’t know what you mean,” said Malcolm.

“Oh, cut the bullshit!” Emma grabbed the door handle and threw it open, but found the room empty. She frowned, unsure what to make of it. “You got ghosts living here?”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Sheriff.”

“Oh, _I’m_ being ridiculous? Take a look in the mirror!”

Malcolm just shook his head. “I promise you, there are no ghosts.”

Okay, finally some truth. So there weren’t ghosts, but there was definitely _something_ lurking in the castle, and Emma was determined to get to the bottom of it. Malcolm resumed the tour up until they reached the door at the end of the corridor. He didn’t open it. In fact, he pretended it wasn’t even there. Emma wasn’t having it.

“What’s in there?” she asked with a frown, “Something you don’t want me to see?”

“It’s just the library.”

“Then show me. It’s just a bunch of books, right? What do you have to hide, Malcolm?”

Malcolm stared blankly at her, completely void of emotion. “Apologies, Sheriff, but this is Mr. Gold’s private library. Not even I am permitted inside.”

“Oh yeah? Well why don’t we just ask him ourselves? What do you say, Gold? Can we check it out?”

Malcolm frowned as he turned to find no one there. He sighed, exasperated, and looked back at Emma, only to find that she, too, had disappeared. The library door was slightly ajar.

_“Oh dear.”_

Emma crept slowly and silently through the dark library, gun in hand, and listened for any suspicious sounds. It wasn’t what she heard that alarmed her, but rather, what she saw. She only caught a glimpse, but there was the silhouette of a tall, winged creature darting around the corner into the next aisle. She wasn’t crazy after all. This wasn’t a hallucination, or the dark playing tricks on her eyes. This was real. No doubt about it.

“H-Hello?” she asked without thinking.

She immediately regretted her actions, gasping when she saw a large, wolf-like beast with crimson hide stalking towards her in the pale moonlight. She aimed her gun at the snarling creature, only to have it snatched out of her trembling hands. She almost screamed when she turned to find a winged monster with lilac skin crushing her firearm like an empty soda can.

“W-What the hell?” she whispered.

The creature threw the gun aside. “What are you doing here, human?”

Emma’s eyes widened. “Holy shit, you can talk? Who— What _are_ you? Some kind of demon?”

She started to back away, but realized the red beast was still behind her. She pressed her back to the bookshelf as she began to hyperventilate. She felt like she was having a panic attack. It was growing increasingly-difficult to breathe. The clawed hand on her shoulder left her staring deep into the eyes of the winged creature.

“Don’t hurt me,” she rasped, “Please.”

“I have no desire to do you harm, human. Leave this place at once. You don’t belong here.”

“You— You were the one watching me,” Emma realized, “when I was at the door.”

“I was, yes.”

“Do you, um, have a name?”

“My kind have no names, but you humans call me _Regina.”_

“Your kind? There are more of you?”

Regina sighed and averted her gaze. “Barely.”

* * *

Gold was fuming. “She _what?”_

“Apologies, Mr. Gold. I tried to stop her, but she wouldn’t listen.”

The Scotsman tightened his fists. “Christ. I can’t have this getting out.”

“Do you really think anyone would believe her?”

“It’s doubtful,” said Gold, “but I still can’t take such a risk.”

“Do you have leverage over her, sir?”

Gold laughed darkly. “Oh, Malcolm. Haven’t you figured it out by now? I have leverage over _everyone_ in this bloody town.”

Malcolm smiled. “Of course. I suppose it slipped my mind.”

* * *

Emma was having a hard time processing what she’d just heard. “Jesus,” she muttered, “That’s— _fuck—_ that’s awful. I can’t even begin to imagine what that must be like. I don’t think I want to.” She looked around at the other gargoyles with uncertainty. “Do, um, do you really not have names?”

“No,” said the green one, “but I suppose _you_ have one?"

“Well, yeah. I’m Emma. Emma Swan.”

“I heard what Malcolm said to you before,” said Regina, “He called you _Sheriff.”_

“Yeah, that’s me. I’m the town Sheriff.”

“And what does a _Sheriff_ do?” asked the gray one.

“Well, I protect the people and keep the peace.”

“So you are a guardian, then,” said Regina.

Emma smiled. “I guess that’s a good way to put it.” She eyed Regina’s wings curiously. “So, um, can you really fly with those wings?”

“No. We can only glide upon the wind.”

“Oh. I was hoping you’d be able to take me back down to my car. I’d rather not cross paths with Gold or Malcolm again. Those two creep me out.”

Regina was reluctant, but sighed. “I’ll do it,” she said, “but just this once.”

In a matter of moments, Emma found herself being carried through the cool night air by a living gargoyle. She had her arms hooked around Regina’s neck, and when she locked eyes with the brunette, she felt heat rise to her cheeks for reasons she couldn’t even begin to understand. Regina just peered at her warily before looking away. Soon, Regina had landed and was setting Emma down gently.

Emma scratched the back of her head. “I’d like to see you again, just not here. I doubt Gold would ever let me come back. How about tomorrow afternoon? I’d like to learn more about you. Hopefully I can show you that humans aren’t so bad— for the most part.”

“No. Tomorrow night, once the sun goes down,” Regina insisted.

Emma chuckled. “Why am I not surprised?” she teased, “In all seriousness, I have to know: were you the one who broke that shotgun in half?”

“You mean the fire-spitting weapon?”

“Uh, yeah. I think.”

“It was me, yes.”

“You wanna tell me what really happened here tonight?”

“A group of masked men attacked the castle and injured Gold.”

Emma frowned. “What? He didn’t seem all that _injured_ to me,” she said, “and he never mentioned any attack.” She shook her head. “None of this makes any sense.”

Regina started to respond, but tensed when she saw sunlight emerging from beyond the horizon.

“You should leave, Emma Swan. We will meet again, once the sun sets.”

“Where?”

Regina quickly scanned the town and pointed to a tall structure. “There,” she said, “in that tower.”

“The clocktower? Alright. See you then.”

Regina glided back up to the top of the castle and out of sight. Emma stared up with a smile before turning and climbing into her Volkswagen. She needed to get home and enjoy the few hours of sleep she had left before she had to get ready for the day.


	3. Ghosts

Having enjoyed her last three hours of sleep, Emma reluctantly climbed out of bed and went to take a quick shower. Once out, she dried her hair, got dressed, and headed to her son’s room at the opposite end of the hall. She knocked lightly on the door.

“Henry? It’s time to get ready for school.”

She heard an incoherent mumble and pushed the door open. Her son was squinting at her, rubbing his tired eyes.

“Do I have to?” he fussed, “Can’t I skip just one day? _Please?”_

“Sorry kid. No can do,” Emma told him with a smile, “Just look on the bright side. It’s Friday.” She ruffled his messy hair. “I’ve got time to cook breakfast. You want some eggs?”

“Okay. Do we have bacon?”

“Of course. We _always_ have bacon. So, how do you want ‘em?”

“Fried.”

“Cool. Get dressed, kiddo. I’ll be downstairs.”

Emma turned to leave, but her son stopped her.

“Mom?”

“Yeah?”

“Where’d you go last night?”

“Huh? Oh. I, uh, got some noise complaints and had to go check it out.”

“Was it at the castle?”

“Yeah. Yeah, it was. How’d you know?”

Henry shrugged. “I dunno, I just guessed.” He was quiet for a moment. “Is it cool?”

Emma smiled. “Yeah,” she said, “It’s pretty cool.”

She headed downstairs and into the kitchen to make breakfast, oblivious to the fact that there was a drawing of a winged creature on Henry’s desk.

* * *

Having dropped Henry off at school, Emma decided to patrol the neighborhood. She slowed down as she turned onto the street in front of the castle on the hilltop. She could clearly see the gargoyles perched on the turrets, but they weren’t moving. She found this strange, but she knew she’d have to save all her questions until the sun went down.

The rest of the day was uneventful. As always, she went to Granny’s for a cheeseburger with a side of onion rings and some cream soda, and of course, Granny chided her for her unhealthy eating habits. After that, she went to the station to fill out some paperwork. As much as she hated this part of the job, it certainly helped to pass the time. She made a mental note to go and purchase a new firearm over the weekend. Before she knew it, the alarm on her phone was going off. Three o’clock. Time to pick Henry up.

She smiled at him as he climbed into the passenger seat. “Hey kid, how was school?” Her smile fell, however, when she noticed the look of sadness on his face. “What’s the matter? Did something happen?”

Henry folded his arms and turned away. “I don’t wanna talk about it.”

Emma pursed her lips as she pulled out of the parking lot and onto the street. “Alright. Just know that you can, if you need to. I’m here for you, Henry. _Always.”_

He didn’t respond, so Emma decided to make a pit stop at the drug store a few blocks away. Henry frowned in confusion.

“What are we doing here?”

Emma placed a hand on his shoulder and offered a reassuring smile. “I thought you’d like to get a milkshake or something. Maybe a comic book, if you want.”

Henry couldn’t help but smile. “Thanks, Mom.”

“No problem, kid.”

Soon, they were at the counter with their milkshakes, one chocolate and the other strawberry. The drug store was straight out of the fifties with its retro décor and ice cream bar. _Johnny B. Goode_ was emanating from the jukebox, making Emma tap her foot as she enjoyed her strawberry shake. She smiled at Henry as he flipped through an old _Captain America_ comic he’d picked up off the rack.

He seemed to notice her watching him and looked at her with uncertainty. “Mom?” he asked quietly.

“Yeah?”

Henry hesitated. “Am I a bastard?”

Emma frowned. _“What?_ Henry, why would you say that?”

Henry hung his head in shame. “That’s what people call me at school.”

 _“What_ _people?”_ Emma demanded.

“I don’t wanna be a snitch.”

“Henry, please, you have to tell me. I’m not just gonna sit by and let some punk kids bully my kid.”

A heavy sigh escaped the boy and he shook his head. “It’s not a kid.”

Emma’s frown only deepened. _“What?_ Are you saying an _adult_ called you that? Okay, Henry, you _have_ to tell me. Right now. This is unacceptable.”

Henry bit his lip. “It’s— It’s Ms. Gardener.”

_“Eloise Gardener?”_

“Yeah,” Henry whispered.

“First thing Monday morning, I’m going up there and giving that bitch a piece of my mind,” Emma seethed, “She ought to be fired, talking to a kid like that.”

“Is it okay if I stay over at Nick’s tonight?”

Emma placed a hand on the boy’s back. “Of course it is.”

* * *

After dropping Henry off at his friend’s house, Emma headed straight to the library, discretely picked the lock, and went up to the rooftop to wait for sunset. The place hadn’t been open for years, probably because no one really read books anymore. It wasn’t much longer before the sun started going down. She smiled when she saw the gargoyles gliding across the sky, with the exception of the wolf-like creature she’d seen last night. The gargoyles still seemed wary of her, but she was hoping to change that.

“So, what have you all been up to?”

“Sleeping,” said Regina.

“You’re nocturnal? But I saw you on the castle ledge today. It didn’t _look_ like you were sleeping.”

Regina seemed mildly irritated. “If you _must_ know, our bodies turn to stone in the daylight.”

“What? Seriously? That’s insane! How exactly does that work? Is it magic or something?”

“No.”

“Does it hurt?”

“No, though it isn’t entirely pleasant.”

Regina hooked her wings around her shoulders like a cloak, something that made her appear much less intimidating. The others followed suit.

“So,” said Emma, “who all knows about you?”

“Only the man called Gold and his companion,” said Regina, “and of course, _you.”_ She looked around at the quiet town. “This is certainly a strange new world.”

Emma slipped her hands into her pockets. “Yeah, well, a lot changes in a thousand years.”

“That it does,” Regina agreed, “What is the purpose of this tower? Is there a watchman within?”

“No, it’s a clocktower. It tells time, or at least it _should._ It hasn’t worked in years. Below is the old library.”

“Like in the castle?” asked the blue one.

Emma nodded. “Yeah, just not as big. You wanna check it out? I’m sure it would make a great hideaway. Nobody ever comes here.”

Within a matter of minutes, they were all downstairs in the library. The blue one was inspecting an old portrait of a mustached man, beneath which was a small placard with the man’s name.

“What does this say?” he asked.

“George Jefferson,” said Emma, “He built this place about eighty years ago.”

“Jefferson,” said the blue one, “Hmm. I like the sound of that. I suppose I shall be _Jefferson_ as well.”

Emma smiled. “It suits you.” She looked to the others expectantly. “How about you two?”

The gray one was flipping aimlessly through an old book. “I don’t know,” he said, “Do you see any names in here?” He handed it to Emma and her eyes lit up.

“Oh, this is about all the great baseball players.”

“What is _baseball?”_

“It’s a game humans like to play.” Emma skimmed the pages for names. “Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Ed Killian, Jackie Robinson. There are just way too many to name.”

“If he’s Jefferson, then I will be Killian,” said the gray one, “What about you, brother?”

The green one folded his arms. “I don’t need a name. I’ve gone more than a thousand years without one. Why start now?”

“Suit yourself.”

As the others talked amongst themselves, the green one approached the window and peered out to see the metal sign on the corner. He looked to Emma with mild curiosity.

“Sheriff? What does that sign say?”

“Graham Boulevard. Why? Thinking of taking on a name after all?”

“I don’t know. It’s not something I’d ever considered before. This is all very strange.”

“Yeah, I can imagine. You think about it. There’s no rush.”

* * *

Malcolm knocked on the door of Gold’s office. “Mr. Gold?”

_“Come in.”_

Malcolm entered and found Gold staring at him expectantly from the desk.

“Well? What is it?”

“The gargoyles seem to have disappeared. Only the hound remains.”

Gold frowned. “They can’t have gone far. They’re probably off exploring the town. I just pray no one sees them.” He leaned back in his chair and folded his fingers as he contemplated the situation. “Why don’t you see if you can locate them from the rooftop? I’d like to have them back as soon as possible.”

Malcolm nodded. “Yes, sir.”

* * *

Regina sensed Emma’s unease. “What troubles you?” she asked, though she wasn’t entirely sure why. Why should she care about the feelings of a human? Still, she listened to what Emma had to say.

Emma sighed and folded her arms. “My son, Henry,” she said, “He’s been struggling lately. I mean, we both have, but he’s been really down in the dumps.” She hugged herself tightly. “I try to do the best I can, but sometimes I feel like it’s not enough.”

Flickers of a car crash flashed through her mind, making her wince. She took a slow, deep breath in an attempt to block it all out. She’d gotten better at that with each passing day.

“I’m sure he’d love to meet you all. He’s always been into supernatural stuff.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure,” said Regina, “Most children run from us.”

Emma smiled faintly. “Trust me, Henry’s _not_ ‘most children.’”

The gargoyles didn’t hang around much longer, leaving Emma alone in the library. As they returned to the castle, Jefferson looked to Regina with uncertainty.

“Do you really think we can trust her?”

“I don’t know. That has yet to be seen.”

“She seems kind.”

“Looks can be deceiving,” Regina said bitterly.

* * *

As Emma was driving home, she found herself clutching the steering wheel with an iron grip. The memories of that night were flooding back into her mind, and this time, she was powerless to stop them. She pulled over and began hyperventilating. Shit. She was having a panic attack.

_Broken glass. Broken bones. Blood everywhere. Twisted metal, grotesquely fused with mangled flesh. The ambulance was there along with the police and the fire department, sirens blaring so loud they almost left Emma deaf. The tears welling in her eyes nearly blinded her. There, sprawled out on the hood, was her boyfriend. His legs were still inside the car. He’d been thrown through the windshield. There was no life in his eyes. His name was Neal Cassidy. He was the love of Emma’s life. He was Henry’s father. And now he was dead. Gone forever. Just like that. All thanks to a drunk driver who could never be brought to justice, having suffered the same fate._

Emma sucked in a breath, biting her lip hard enough to draw blood as she fought back her tears. She sobbed openly and brought her head to rest against the wheel. It was over a year since the Accident, and she still couldn’t cope. The only thing she knew how to do was suppress the pain, but lately, that had grown more and more difficult. She was just grateful Henry hadn’t actually witnessed the grisly scene that night. She couldn’t live with herself if her boy had been exposed to such horror.

Once she was able to collect herself, she took a deep breath and slowly drove home. After the Accident, she’d stopped driving her cruiser. The sound of the blaring sirens never failed to trigger her PTSD. Now she just drove her Beetle with the little red light mounted on top. It flashed, but made no sound.

At long last, she made it home and decided to watch something on TV while she ate some popcorn. Hopefully that would help ease her nerves. It usually did.

* * *

When the gargoyles returned to the castle, they were greeted by Malcolm and the red creature, whom Jefferson had opted to name Ruby.

“If you’ll all come with me,” said Malcolm, “Mr. Gold would like a word.”

They reluctantly followed the man up to Gold’s office. Gold was leaned against his desk with a faint smile.

“Welcome back,” he said, “I wanted to do this earlier, but I thought it too soon.” He looked towards the door to his left. “You can come in now. Everyone’s here.”

The gargoyles followed his gaze to the door, curious. When it opened, they were left completely and utterly speechless. For the first time in her long life, Regina felt like she was going to faint. There, in the doorway, stood her mate, alive and well— and shockingly young.

“How can this be?”

The gray-skinned woman stepped out into the light and smiled as she approached Regina, spreading her wings.

“It’s been _far_ too long, my love.”

The two embraced, wrapping their wings around one another.

“I— I thought you had been killed along with the others,” Regina rasped, “How are you here? Did the Witch turn you to stone as well?”

“No. I’ll explain it to you later, but let’s just say I meddled with magic some time ago.”

Regina was in awe. “How long have you been here?”

“As long as you have, though it feels like so much longer.”

“I hate to ruin the moment, but there is something else I need to discuss with you,” said Gold, “While you were sleeping, I did some digging on the intruders. They had a symbol on their clothes, one which I came to learn belongs to a man by the name of Aurelio Midas. I suspect they were here to steal some of my technology, and there’s a strong chance they’ll return. That’s where you all come in. I’d like you to ensure that doesn’t happen, but if it does, I want you to follow them and find out what it is they’re planning. Midas has been a long-time rival of mine, so I suppose this shouldn’t surprise me, but I thought he was better than that.”

Regina frowned. “And what do _we_ get out of this arrangement?”

“Better security for the castle, of course,” said Gold, “and for you and your clan.”

“Very well,” Regina said reluctantly, “We will do whatever it takes to defend our home.”

Gold smiled. “Wonderful.”


	4. Secrets and Lies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I've decided to make this a five-chapter installment as an equivalent to the first five episodes of the show, but there will definitely be more to come in the sequels!

The clan burst from their stone shells to find Gold and Malcolm waiting for them with concerned expressions.

“The bastards actually did it,” said Gold, “They stole the blueprints for my new security system. I need you to get them back. I’d do it myself, but I can’t exactly take on a bunch of thugs on my own.”

“Where might we find these _blueprints?”_ asked Regina.

“Most likely at Midas’ estate, out in the hills across town. He has a golden statue of himself out front. That should tell you exactly what kind of man he is.”

They all headed for the hills, with the exception of Ruby, who remained at the castle. Gold looked to Malcolm with a sly smile.

“Midas won’t know what hit him.”

* * *

Emma knocked on Henry’s door. “Henry?”

_“Yeah?”_

“Can I come in?”

_“Okay.”_

She pushed the door open and stepped inside with a smile. It had been a long day. She’d gone out and bought a new gun before picking Henry up from Nick’s house, and they had spent the rest of the afternoon watching Netflix together.

“Hey, I was just heading to bed, but I wanted you to know that Ms. Gardener doesn’t have a clue what she’s talking about.” She approached him and took a seat on the edge of the bed, giving his hand a light squeeze. “You’re not a bastard, Henry. Don’t ever let anybody tell you otherwise.”

She started to say something else, but it was lost as her eyes were drawn to the picture on Henry’s desk. She frowned and reached for it curiously. Her heart nearly skipped a beat when she realized what it was.

“What’s this?” she asked, trying not to seem panicked.

If Henry noticed, he didn’t question it. “I don’t know,” he said with a shrug.

“But _you_ drew it,” Emma deadpanned.

“Yeah, but I don’t know what it is. I drew it after I saw the monster outside.”

Emma’s frown deepened. “Monster?”

Henry nodded. “The other day, there was this gray lady with horns and wings outside my window. She had these freaky red eyes. When I looked at her, she flew away.”

Emma offered a tight smile. “Are you sure you weren’t just dreaming?”

“I was wide-awake.”

“It was probably just your eyes playing tricks on you.”

“Maybe,” said Henry, “but it was still pretty cool.”

Emma was surprised by this. “You weren’t scared? Like, at all?”

“A little, but not really.” Henry looked at her with uncertainty. “Do you think we could hang out tomorrow?”

“Of course we can, little man,” Emma said, ruffling the boy’s hair, “What do you wanna do?”

“I dunno. I didn’t think that far ahead.”

Emma chuckled. “You think about it. I’ll see you tomorrow, Henry. Goodnight.”

“Night.”

Emma left the room and quietly closed the door, padding back towards her room. She changed into her pajamas and climbed into bed. Once she’d switched off the lamp, she turned to gaze out the window, half-expecting to see a gargoyle. Of course, there was nothing there, but the fact that Henry had seen one troubled her.

Had it been Regina? Her skin wasn’t gray, but maybe Henry had just been mistaken. At the same time, Regina’s horns weren’t all that prominent— not that Emma had been looking or anything.

As Emma drifted off to sleep, her head swam with visions of herself in the loving embrace of a beautiful woman with dark hair, dark eyes, and— _wings?_

* * *

Gold was right. There _was_ a statue in front of the manor. Regina crashed through the window easily with her talons, landing in a long hallway with numerous oil paintings lining the walls. Many of them depicted an older gentleman with curly, shoulder-length hair and a well-trimmed beard. His eyes seemed to follow the group, making the place all the more unnerving. They didn’t have much time to dwell on this, however, as men in black suits came storming out from the door at the far end of the hall. They were armed, each and every last one of them.

Despite taking hot lead to the wing, Regina was able to hold her own against her attackers. She might not have been so lucky had she been alone. Thankfully, she had her clan fighting alongside her. She grabbed one of the men by the collar of his shirt and pinned him against the wall after crushing his weapon with her talons.

“Where are the blueprints?!” she demanded.

“Holy shit, this thing talks!” cried the man.

Regina bared her fangs at him in anger. “Answer me!”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

“The blueprints! For the security system!”

Before Regina could get an answer, another man lunged at her in an attempt to knock her down, but she merely stumbled, using her tail to balance herself. She spread her wings wide and snarled at him, eyes glowing bright green as she swiped her tail at him. He fell onto his back with a gasp and he was left frozen in fear when he saw the winged monster crush his gun.

“What the hell are these things?!”

Regina jumped over him, knocking oncoming attackers out of the way as she charged towards the door they’d all come out of. Meanwhile, the rest of her clan was searching the other rooms. Her beloved followed after her.

“Regina, you should return to the castle. I’m sure Malcolm can patch up your wing.”

“Nothing a day of rest won’t fix. Come, let’s find these blueprints so we can get out of here.”

They scoured the room for any sign of the object in question.

“I cannot express just how grateful I am to have you here with me, my love. I truly believed you had perished with the others. You have no idea how much you mean to—”

Regina gasped, pushing her mate out of the way as a bullet came flying towards them. Once again, Regina felt the scorching lead pierce her wing, and she hissed in pain.

“Regina!” cried her beloved.

The gray-skinned woman lunged at the gunman, knocking the gun out of his hand and pinning him to the wall by the throat. Her eyes were glowing a dangerous shade of red.

“Make peace with your god, _human,”_ she hissed, “This is the end of you.”

“No!” shouted Regina, “Put him down!”

 _“What?!_ But he shot you!”

“Yet I still live! _Please,_ my love, do not kill this man.”

“Fine! But I shall give him something to remember me by.”

Regina’s eyes widened. “No, don’t!”

But it was too late. Her mate had already taken a single talon and left a long, deep gash down the man’s face, right over his left eye. He cursed and cried out in pain, but was unable to break free from the vengeful gargoyle’s grasp. Before he could even think to react, he was thrown to the ground, and when his head hit the floor, everything went black.

Regina was in shock. _“Why?_ Why brand him in such a way?”

“I don’t see the problem. You, for some unfathomable reason, insisted I spare this human’s life, and so I have. It won’t happen again. If these humans wish to throw away their worthless lives guarding some _object,_ then that’s no concern of mine— nor should it be yours, my love.”

Regina stood there, speechless, as her mate stepped over the unconscious bodies of the gunmen. After a moment, she snapped out of it and followed after her beloved to ensure no one lost their lives. This was not the same gargoyle she remembered. She supposed Emma had been right after all. A lot _could_ change in a thousand years, and it certainly had.

“Hey, Regina!” It was Jefferson. “We found the blueprints!”

He emerged from a room towards the opposite end of the hall with his brothers in tow. He was holding a silver disk encased in a transparent shell of some sort.

“Excellent. Let’s return to the castle before someone spots us.”

Even as the wind carried them back to those familiar walls of stone, Regina couldn’t help but keep an eye on her mate. When she’d looked into the woman’s eyes, she had seen no love. No mercy. Only hatred and fury. And that terrified her.

* * *

Emma was running her hands through her hair, stressed. How was she supposed to tell Henry she couldn’t spend the day with him? How was she supposed to justify breaking a promise to the only person who mattered to her? She knew she was going to have to, and soon, but that didn’t make this any less difficult. She needed to get this over with as soon as possible.

When she made it downstairs, she found Henry watching TV in the living room. He smiled brightly at her, something she hadn’t seen him do in such a long time, and now she had to go and ruin it.

“Hi, Mom.”

“Hey kid.”

Henry seemed to notice just how tense she was. “What’s the matter?”

Emma sighed, scratching the back of her head awkwardly. “I’m really sorry, Henry, but it turns out I’ve got to go to work today. Believe me, I’d much rather spend the day with you, but I don’t really have a choice.”

The disappointment was evident in her son’s eyes, and that broke her, but he still maintained a smile.

“It’s okay, Mom. I understand.”

Maybe that was true. Maybe he did understand, or was at least _trying_ to. Either way, Emma felt like she’d betrayed him.

“How about you stay home from school tomorrow?”

Henry was stunned, but there was a spark of hope in his eyes, and to Emma, that was all that mattered.

“What? _Really?”_

“Yeah. I’ll still be going up there in the morning, but after that, we can do whatever you want.”

Henry’s smile returned. “Awesome. You’re the best.”

“Right back at ya. I’ll see you later, kid.”

“Bye!”

They waved to each other, and Emma headed out to her car. She sighed as she climbed inside.

“Please, whoever’s listening, just let this be over soon.”

* * *

When she arrived at Midas’ estate, she was shocked by what she saw. Broken windows. Glass everywhere. She found herself feeling short of breath. It all reminded her of _that night._ She shook her head, trying to compose herself, and went to knock on the door. When it opened, she was met by Aurelio Midas himself. He was understandably furious, though did his best to maintain a polite smile.

“Hello, Sheriff.”

“Hello, Mr. Midas. I understand you had people break in last night?”

“A break in, yes, but _people?_ No. No, Sheriff, these intruders were _not_ people.”

“What? I don’t quite follow.”

“Please, come inside. I have it all on camera. Many of my employees were injured, some worse than others, but thank heavens no one was killed. I’ve never seen anything like this before.”

Midas led Emma upstairs to the room with the security feed, where a man with dirty-blonde hair was waiting for them.

“Good morning, Frederick.”

“Good morning, sir.”

“Would you please show Sheriff Swan last night’s tapes?”

“Yes, Mr. Midas.”

Frederick did so, and Emma watched the gargoyles storm through the building and attack Midas’ security guards. She was shocked by what she saw, but not for the same reason as everyone else. Who was this other gargoyle? It seemed to be female, but she wasn’t entirely sure. She struggled to find her voice.

“I— I don’t know what I’m looking at,” she said, and it wasn’t entirely a lie.

“Nor do I, Sheriff,” said Midas, “but they stole the blueprints for my new security system. If I had already made the upgrades, this whole thing may not have happened.”

“Can you think of anyone who might have had something to do with this?”

“If, by some chance, that bastard Gold managed to gain control over these monsters, then yes. He’s been a rival of mine for many years.” He shook his head. “I don’t know what to make of all this. When my men told me they were attacked by winged creatures, I didn’t believe it, but once I saw the tapes, I— I didn’t know who else to call.”

Emma scratched the back of her head. “I’m sorry, Mr. Midas, but I don’t know what I can do. Do you know where these creatures went?”

“Unfortunately, no. When they took the blueprints, they took the rest of the footage with them. I suppose my best bet would be contacting the CIA. Perhaps these creatures are aliens of some sort.”

“Yeah, maybe so. I could dust for prints, but I doubt that would do much good. I just have to wonder what aliens would want with your property.”

“I wish I knew, Sheriff. Maybe you should speak with Mr. Anderson in the infirmary. He was wounded by one of the creatures.”

Emma frowned. “You didn’t take him to the hospital?”

“If he was to tell anyone he was attacked by a winged monster, the only _hospital_ he would end up in would be the old asylum.”

“You’ve got a point, Mr. Midas.”

“Please, call me Aurelio.”

Emma was quiet for a moment, slipping her hands into her pockets. “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“Is that really your name?”

“Legally, yes.”

“Hm. Was it always?”

Midas shook his head. “No. My parents named me _Murray.”_

A smile tugged at Emma’s lips. “How about another joke—”

The man held up a hand. “Sheriff, _please.”_

“Sorry. Couldn’t resist.”

* * *

Emma had long since lost her humor, as she was currently on the roof of the library, waiting to see if the clan would leave the castle. Only Regina showed up this time.

“Hello, Emma.”

Emma frowned. “Do you wanna explain yourself?”

“What do you mean?”

“Regina, you broke into Midas’ house and stole his property.”

Now Regina was frowning as well. “I merely took back what belonged to Gold. It was Midas’ men who took the blueprints.”

Emma folded her arms. “Says who?”

“Gold.”

“And where’s your proof?”

“The masked men bore Midas’ crest on their garments.”

“His _crest?”_

“A silver shield with a winged blade.”

“Did Gold ever say what these blueprints were for?”

“Some sort of security system,” said Regina.

“I have to know,” said Emma, “who was that woman with you?”

“What?”

“I saw the footage from Midas’ cameras. You were with another gargoyle. I never saw her before.”

“Ah, yes. That would be my mate. I don’t entirely understand it myself, but she survived the massacre all those years ago and managed to stay young for a millennium.”

“Your mate is female?”

“Yes. Why?”

“I don’t know, I just didn’t think gargoyles had same-sex relationships.”

Regina frowned. “There is much you don’t know about us, Emma Swan.”

“Okay, that’s fair,” said Emma, “but you can’t just go breaking into people’s houses, Regina. It’s against the law. Just like theft and assault. I had to lie to Midas’ face and pretend I didn’t know anything about you, and I hate lying more than just about anything in this world.”

“We are alike in that way, you and I,” Regina told her, “I swear to you, it won’t happen again.”

“I hope not. Why don’t we do a bit of sleuthing and see who’s _really_ behind all this?”

It took nearly three hours, but with Regina’s description of the symbol and Emma’s skills at online investigations, they were able to discover the truth. The crest, as Regina called it, was the logo for a private weapons-manufacturing company called _Valkyrie Corp._

And it was owned by none other than Mr. Gold.

* * *

“It would seem the gargoyles have outlived their usefulness,” said Gold, “Now that I have those blueprints, I can finally bring their replacements online.”

Malcolm checked his watch. “We have only a few more hours until sunrise, Mr. Gold. Perhaps we should wait until they are asleep to test these machines.”

 _“No.”_ Regina’s mate stepped out of the shadows. “If you wish to test them, what better time to do so than now?”

Gold smiled deviously. “I don’t think I could have put it better myself.”

* * *

The three brothers were up on the rooftop enjoying the food they’d _borrowed_ from the kitchen.

“You know, I think I rather like this century,” said Jefferson.

Killian smiled. “I second that.”

He gasped when the bag of corn chips was left singed by a red-hot beam of energy. They all looked to find what looked like a gargoyle covered in armor, hovering nearby. Its eyes were glowing red and its intentions were nothing if not sinister. Suddenly, there were dozens more, all identical, swarming around them.

“What are those things?!” cried Killian.

The armored beings started blasting more red beams at the trio, who were quick to flee the rooftop and dive out of the line of fire. Unfortunately, the green one wasn’t fast enough and was struck in the back, causing him to fall onto a nearby turret. He groaned in pain as he tried to get back up, but he was too weak and collapsed.

Meanwhile, Killian was attempting to evade the metallic creature pursuing him, but he, too, was hit by a beam from the beast’s arm. He started to fall, but luckily, Jefferson was there to catch him. The metal monster set its sights on both of them and its targets were locked, but before it had a chance to fire, Regina came rocketing towards it and threw it against the wall of the castle as hard as she could. It exploded into a million pieces, and Regina went to help Jefferson.

“Give him to me!”

Jefferson handed Killian over to the brunette and she carried him up to the tower where the green one was lying dormant. Like Killian, he was unconscious, but still breathing. Regina set Killian down next to his brother and went to fend off the rest of the armored devils. One of them dove at her, but before it had the chance to strike, Ruby came bounding out of the shadows and lunged at the creature. This sent it plummeting onto a turret below, and the momentum, in addition to Ruby’s weight on its back, ultimately destroyed it.

Regina caught sight of another monster heading her way and was able to jump onto its back. It just so happened that a second one was trailing close behind and dead-set on hitting her, so she used this to her advantage by gliding away just in time, and the two chrome beasts crashed violently into each other. The result was a powerful explosion that nearly knocked Regina out of the sky. Unbeknownst to her, she was being watched by her mate, Gold, and Malcolm. They were forced to run for cover when the flaming debris nearly hit them.

Gold was not pleased. “The Steel Clan is not performing as well as I’d anticipated.”

“There’s only one robot left, sir,” said Malcolm, “What should we do?”

“Take matters into our own hands, of course.”

* * *

Killian groaned as he awoke, rubbing his aching head. “What’s happening?”

The green one soon opened his eyes as well, but felt disoriented. “I don’t know, brother,” he said, “but it doesn’t quite seem to be over.”

They were shocked when they saw yet another armored monster flying straight towards Regina and rushed to the edge of the tower, mustering up all their combined strength and pushing a broken section of the turret away so that it crushed the beast. Regina looked up at them, bewildered, but smiled and nodded. They glided down to meet her, and Jefferson was soon to follow.

“We did it!” Jefferson declared, “We won!”

_“You haven’t won anything, you imbeciles!”_

They all looked up to the rooftop, shocked to find Regina’s mate standing there with a large cannon of some sort aimed right at them. Gold appeared from behind her, brandishing a weapon of his own. Without warning, she pulled the trigger, and a powerful burst of energy came barreling towards them. They barely evaded the blast.

“What are you doing?!” cried Regina.

“You are a fool, Regina,” her mate said bitterly, “but then again, you always were. If you’d _only_ listened to the Captain and taken the clan away from the castle! It was the perfect plan! It would have succeeded, had you not been so _stubborn!”_

Regina frowned. “What plan? What are you talking about?”

“I made a bargain with Gareth. I was to get the clan out of the castle so the invaders could take it over!”

_“What?!”_

“It would’ve worked! I know it! Once the humans were gone, we could have had the castle all to ourselves, but you ruined it, Regina! You just _had_ to protect the humans! You made the others stay behind when we should have been by your side! When Fendrake and his men attacked, the Captain swore he would protect us, but I didn’t trust him! You want to know why I’ve stayed alive all this time? It’s because I don’t trust _anyone!”_

“But why?!” Regina demanded, “Why did you do it?!”

“You would ask me that? After how they treated us?! They had to pay for what they did to our kind, Regina! Every last one of them! And now, all the world shall suffer in their wake!”

Regina narrowed her eyes. “We are all capable of good and evil,” she said, “Human and gargoyle alike! Don’t you see?” She pointed at her mate accusingly. “None of this would have happened if it weren’t for _you!”_

“Don’t say that, Regina! I’m giving you one final chance! Humanity is a disease that must be destroyed! Join me, my love, and we can create a safe haven for our people! A utopia! You trusted me once. You _loved_ me. Look at us. We’ve found each other again, after all these years! Does that mean _nothing_ to you?”

Regina grit her teeth in rage, but said nothing.

“So be it. If you are not my ally, Regina, then you are my enemy!”

Regina narrowly missed being burned to a crisp as a fiery beam came straight for her head. She fell onto her back, staring up in horror as her once-beloved stalked towards her with murderous intent.

“I have a name, too, you know. A human gave it to me, many years ago. I suppose it’s only fair that you hear it before you die. My name is _Maleficent.”_ She aimed the cannon at Regina’s head. “Goodbye, Regina.”

Before she could squeeze the trigger, she suddenly found herself being knocked to the ground by an unknown assailant. The fall caused the gun to go off and she inadvertently fired a beam at the nearby tower, resulting in stone burning and plummeting to the ground. Gold saw one of the large stones falling towards him and he tried to flee, but his defective leg slowed him down and he was struck in the back of the head, rendering him unconscious.

A large section of the tower fell away and crashed mere feet from Maleficent and her assailant, a human woman in a red jacket. This led to the walkway breaking apart, and Emma and Maleficent fell over the ledge. Regina dove towards Emma and quickly brought her back up to safety, but was left helpless to watch Maleficent plummet to the ground with a hail of heavy stones in tow, no doubt crushing her.

Regina spread her wings as she unleashed a roar of sheer agony. Turning to Gold, she grabbed him by the back of his jacket just as he was starting to regain consciousness.

“She wanted me to destroy humanity!” Regina seethed, “I think I’ll start with _you!”_ She held the Scotsman over the ledge, but there was no fear in his eyes. Only anger.

“Go ahead,” he told her, “Without me, you’d still be gathering moss.”

“Regina, no!” shouted Emma, “Don’t do it!”

“Give me _one_ good reason why I shouldn’t drop him.”

“If you kill him, you’ll be no different from Maleficent.”

“She’s right, Regina,” said Jefferson, “Is that really what you want?”

Regina let out a low growl, throwing Gold back onto the stone floor at Jefferson’s feet.

* * *

Once Gold was hauled away in a cruiser, Emma helped Regina and the others lift away the rubble. What they found— or rather, what they _didn’t_ find— was alarming to them all.

“She’s gone,” Emma said, dumbfounded, “How could she have gotten away without us noticing?”

“I suppose if she survived all these years, there isn’t much she _can’t_ do,” Regina said bitterly, “I imagine she’s probably watching us right now.”

“Do you think she’ll return?” asked Jefferson.

“I have no doubt,” said Regina, “It’s only a matter of _when.”_ She looked to Emma with sadness in her eyes, yet a faint smile graced her lips. “I have to thank you, Emma Swan, for saving my life. If not for you, she would have most certainly ended me then and there. How can I repay you?”

Emma smiled. “I think I’ve got something in mind.”


	5. Showtime

It was Monday morning, and Eloise Gardener was taking attendance. “Henry Swan?”

No answer.

She frowned a bit, looking around for the boy in question, but his seat was empty.

“Has anyone seen Henry?”

The students looked around, mumbling quietly to one another, and they all shook their heads in unison.

Eloise pursed her lips and tapped her pen against her clipboard, impatient. She marked him absent, and the second she did, the classroom door opened. In walked the Principal.

“Ms. Belfry? Is there something I can help you with?”

The Principal frowned. “Can I have a word, Ms. Gardener?”

“Of course.” Eloise looked to her students expectantly. “I’ll be back shortly. Everyone get out your books and start reading chapter three.”

She stepped out into the hall, closing the door behind her as she turned to find both the Principal and none other than Emma Swan standing there with their arms folded.

 _“Sheriff Swan?_ What’s this all about?”

The Principal arched an eyebrow. “Why don’t _you_ tell us, Ms. Gardener?”

“I don’t know—”

Emma was fuming. “You think my son’s a bastard, do ya? Care to explain why the hell you thought that was okay to say to a kid? Least of all _my_ kid? Henry’s been through enough shit, Gardener! I don’t need some high-and-mighty bitch making him feel even worse about himself! He’s not a bastard, you cunt! His dad fucking _died!”_ She was in tears at this point. “You’ve got some nerve speaking like that to a kid! Do you do that often? How many of your students have you insulted?”

Eloise felt small in the blonde’s presence. “Sh-Sheriff, please, let me explain.”

“You do that, bitch.”

“Sheriff, _please,”_ said Ms. Belfry, “I don’t excuse Ms. Gardener’s behavior, but there’s no need to use such language around children.”

Emma took a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself. “Sorry. I’ve just waited all weekend to get that off my chest.”

“Understandable,” said the Principal. She turned back to Eloise with a look of disapproval. “Now then,” she said, _“do_ carry on.”

Eloise was red-faced with sweat rolling down her forehead. “A child without a father is a bastard, is he not?” she asked in defiance, “Especially when said father was never married to the child’s mother.”

It took everything in Emma’s power not to slap the bitch then and there.

“I want this bitch fired!” she demanded, “That’s the _least_ you can do! I’m telling everyone I know about this! We’ll see how much longer you have a job, Eloise?”

She stormed away and out of the building, and only then did she pull the small audio recorder from her pocket. She smiled as she switched it off. This was just one small victory. She wasn’t done yet. Climbing back into her car, she headed back home and found Henry watching TV in the living room, still wearing his Spider-Man pajamas.

“Did everything go okay?” he asked.

Emma grinned as she pulled him into a tight embrace. “As well as it could have, I think,” she said, “and now it’s about to get even better. Let me take care of one last thing, then we can hang out. Just the two of us. Why don’t you go and get dressed?”

Henry smiled back at her. “Okay.”

He went upstairs to his room, and once Emma heard the door shut, she went to her computer and connected it to the recorder. Soon, the file was downloaded. Not only did she post it on her Facebook page. She emailed it to everyone in her contacts, and she closed the laptop with a sly grin.

Henry returned a few minutes later, wearing jeans and a denim jacket covered in various heavy metal-themed patches.

Emma was stunned by this. “Is that—”

“Dad’s battle jacket? Yeah,” Henry said, smiling brightly, “I was hoping it could be the three of us today. I hope that’s okay.”

Emma’s eyes welled with tears as she pulled him into yet another hug. “I think that’s perfect,” she said, “and I know he’d be proud to see you in his jacket.”

And so, per Henry’s request, they headed up to Granny’s for breakfast and took their seats at the counter. The old woman approached them with a warm smile.

“You playing hooky today, Henry?” she teased.

Emma and Henry shared a laugh.

“He’s got permission from the Sheriff,” Emma said, ruffling his hair.

“What can I get you, kiddo?”

“Chocolate chip pancakes with extra powdered sugar, please.”

“And to drink?”

“Milk.”

“Can do. What about you, Chief?”

Emma smiled fondly at her son. “I’ll have what he’s having.”

* * *

Once they left the diner, they headed to the park and sat in the swings together in comfortable silence. They had to have been there for at least an hour before either of them said a word. It was Henry who spoke first.

“Mom?” he asked quietly.

Emma smiled at him. “Yeah, kid?”

“Do you think we could go see Dad?”

Emma gave a slow nod. “Absolutely. It’s been too long. I’m sure he’s feeling lonely.”

The drive to the cemetery was only a few minutes, but it felt like so much longer. They were in no rush, so they trudged slowly up the hill to find Neal’s grave. It was simple. Nothing fancy. It wasn’t that they couldn’t afford an elaborate tombstone. That was just what Neal would have wanted. He always said was a simple man, and he certainly was. Emma knew it was more than just a testament to his favorite song. Emma smiled when she felt Henry take hold of her hand.

“Hey Neal,” she said softly, “I know it’s been a while since we came up here, but I’d say Henry and I are getting along fairly well. It’s tough not having you around. There’s a lot going on down here that I wish I could tell you about. We both love you, and we miss you, more than you know. I don’t know if you can even hear me, but I like to think you’re out there somewhere, flying free. Hope you’re doing well, wherever you are. I think you’d be happy to know Henry’s wearing your favorite jacket, and that I really stuck it to that bitch, Eloise Gardener.”

Henry snickered. “Yeah, she’s a total cunt.”

Emma placed a hand on his shoulder. “Watch your mouth, kid.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

* * *

It was Emma’s idea to go out to the old wishing well in the forest, but Henry seemed to love the idea and so that was where they went. Emma handed him a penny and smiled.

“One penny per wish,” she said, “Make it a good one.”

Henry thought for a moment before a proverbial lightbulb went off over his head. “I wish—”

“No, don’t say it out loud or it won’t come true.”

“Oh. Okay.” Henry closed his eyes as he made his wish and flipped the penny into the well. He smiled up at Emma. “Now it’s your turn.”

Emma watched her coin plummet into the dark abyss with hope in her eyes. _“Please work,”_ she whispered.

Hearing the penny splash into the water below only made her smile widen, but it fell away when she felt it begin to rain.

“Damn it. Why today, of all days?”

“Hey, don’t worry about it,” said Henry, “We can still have fun inside.”

Emma checked the time on her phone. It was four o’clock. Still a few hours until sundown.

“Alright,” she said, “Wanna watch Netflix?”

Henry grinned. “Yeah. I know just the thing.”

* * *

Emma was in shock. “Did— Did she _really_ just say that?”

“Yup.” Henry rewound the episode a bit.

_“If you want a tiger to eat someone, you don’t put cologne on them. You put sardine oil on them. Cologne just makes them drool.”_

Emma gaped at her smirking son, and they said, in unison, _“She totally killed her husband.”_

* * *

Finally, it was about twenty minutes until sunset.

“Get in the car, kid.”

“Huh?”

Emma smiled. “There’s something I’d like you to see.”

As she drove her son up to the castle, his eyes grew wide with wonder.

“You’re taking me to see the castle?!”

“Oh yes,” she said, “but that’s not all.”

They made their way up to the rooftop and found the stone gargoyles perched on the ledge in various positions.

Henry was in awe. _“Wow._ Can we get one? Please?”

Emma chuckled as she patted his shoulder. “I think you’ll like _this_ a lot better.”

“Huh? What are you—”

Henry was left speechless as he saw the statues begin to crack. The sun had set.

 _“Showtime,”_ said Emma.

In a matter of seconds, the winged creatures broke free from their slumber, spreading their wings as the stone fell away from their rejuvenated bodies. They sensed they were not alone and turned, ever so slowly, to find Emma standing there alongside an awestruck child.

“Holy shit,” Henry whispered. Emma shot him a look and he smiled sheepishly. “Sorry.”

Emma just shook her head and smiled. “I’ll let it slide— _this time.”_ She gestured to the creatures. “Henry, I’d like you to meet my friends, the gargoyles.”

Henry’s eyes were gleaming with astonishment. “Is this real? Or am I dreaming?”

“Oh, it’s real, kid,” Emma assured him.

Regina hooked her wings around her shoulders as she approached the boy. For reasons she couldn’t quite understand, his presence brought a smile to her face, albeit a faint one.

“Hello, little one.”

Henry gaped at her. “Hi. My name’s Henry. What’s yours?”

Regina was overcome with a sense of déjà vu. “Regina,” she said, extending her clawed hand to him. “It is nice to meet you, Henry.”

Henry took her hand without hesitation. “You too. Regina’s a nice name.”

Regina’s smile widened a bit. “As is _Henry.”_

The others were hesitant, but stepped closer anyhow. Henry studied them intently, laughing when the wolf-like creature came up to lick his hand.

“It seems Ruby is quite fond of the lad,” said the gray one.

“What’s your name?” Henry asked him.

“Killian.”

The blue one stepped forward. “And I’m Jefferson.”

Henry looked over at the green one, who seemed uncertain. “What about you?”

“I— I think I would like to be called _Graham.”_

The others smiled, patting his shoulders in a show of support.

“That’s a fine name, brother,” said Jefferson.

“You really think so?”

Killian nodded. “Aye.”

“Are all of you related?” asked Henry.

Jefferson shrugged. “Who knows? But does it even matter? Blood or not, we’re still a clan.”

Regina smiled. “He’s right.” She looked out at the town below. “With Gold in prison, we can defend the castle on our own terms,” she said, “but I say this whole town needs protection as well. It, too, shall be our castle.”

“You know what this means?” Jefferson asked with a grin. He brought his hands to his brothers’ shoulders. “We’re the Storybrooke clan.”

“I _do_ like the sound of that,” said Graham.

“As do I,” Regina confessed. She looked to Emma with a smile. “How would you like to fly?”

“I’d love to.”

“What about me?” asked Henry.

“Don’t worry, lad,” said Graham, “You can fly with me.”

As Emma climbed onto Regina’s back, she felt heat rise to her cheeks.

“Hold on, and don’t let go.”

Emma didn’t hesitate to listen, gasping as Regina dove off the roof of the castle and into the cool night air.

“Just try to relax.”

Graham was close behind with Henry on his back. The boy was having the time of his life. Killian and Jefferson followed after them, oblivious to the glowing red eyes watching them from the trees.


End file.
